Entries in Fighter Jet
(4)

(VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.) -- A fighter jet that crashed into an apartment building in Virginia's most populous city destroyed several homes but seems to have miraculously claimed no lives.

Fire officials said today they are "95 percent certain we have everybody accounted for."

Seconds after takeoff, the student pilot and instructor were forced to shut down one engine on their F/A-18 Hornet after noticing a fuel leak.

The crew began dumping fuel by pumping it over the side to keep the plane light enough to fly, but were forced to eject moments before the plane slammed into an apartment building at 12:05 p.m. Friday.

The crew followed the appropriate procedures, shutting down the engine with the leak, a military source told ABC News military and aviation consultant Stephen Ganyard.

"The fact that they had to eject from the airplane tells me the aircraft was clearly uncontrollable and there was nothing more they could do to move that aircraft from populated areas," Ganyard said.

The two pilots and five people on the ground were taken to the hospital. All but one of the pilots have been released.

The crash started a fire at the Mayfair Mews apartment complex, destroying or damaging some 50 units.

"The plane went straight up with no sound," John, an eyewitness, told WVEC. "And [then] he went right into a dive and I thought maybe it was a training exercise. And then, boom. I could hear it hit and I seen black smoke and instantly smelled jet fuel. ... I've never seen nothing like it before."

Eyewitness Colby Smith said he helped one of the pilots after the crash.

"I saw the pilot laying there with a bloodied-up face. He was pouring blood," Smith told WVEC. "I looked out my bedroom window and I saw nothing but red, just red and orange, flashing, and just a crackling noise. I said, 'What is that?' And then I heard a lot of 'pop, pop, pop.'"

Smith and several other bystanders rushed to carry the pilot to safety.

"We picked up the pilot, who was really heavy," Smith said. "He must have weighed at least 200 pounds, with all his equipment. Me and three other guys picked him up and we carried him to the street. I got so much blood on me."

One witness described the pilot as being very apologetic.

"The pilot said, 'I'm sorry for destroying your house,' and I just bent down and I touched him and I was like 'it's okay, it really - are you okay?' and he was like 'I think I am.'"

Former Navy SEAL Patrick McAleenan told Navy Times he was a block away from the crash and believed the pilots ejected at the last second in an attempt to avoid hitting a school.

The apartment complex is about three miles from the landing strip at Oceana Naval Station and, according to Google Maps, there are several schools within a two-mile radius of the crash site, including one elementary school a half mile away.

"We have planned for this," Virginia Beach Fire Department Battalion Chief Tim Riley told WVEC. "We've done two mishap drills in the past two years and, unfortunately, today it has come to fruition."

The aircraft was part of the Strike Fighter Squadron 106, which is a training squadron for student pilots. The Navy said the student pilot was in the front seat and an experienced instructor was in the back.

"I have spoken to Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms several times and informed him that all commonwealth resources are available to him as the community responds to this breaking situation," he said in a statement. "We are monitoring events carefully as they unfold and State Police resources are now on the scene. Our fervent prayer is that no one was injured or killed in this accident."

U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Shawn J. Stewart/ReleasedUPDATE: The U.S. Coast Guard tells ABC News that the two people aboard the missing Marine Corps fighter jet have been recovered after search and rescue teams heard the duo calling for help from the water.

The two have been lifted to safety and are being transported to the Balboa Naval Medical Center in San Diego for treatment. The extent of their injuries is not yet known.

A field of debris was spotted in the water, but there is no indication yet of what caused the accident.

(SAN DIEGO) -- A U.S. military fighter jet is missing over the Pacific Ocean near San Diego, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Navy reported the missing F/A-18 Hornet Wednesday night at 10:30. They told the San Diego Coast Guard that the aircraft was last spotted 58 miles southwest of Point Loma in San Diego.

The Coast Guard has diverted two cutters, and has deployed a C-130 Hercules aircraft and a helicopter to search the scene and assist in rescue efforts if needed.

The USCG told ABC News that the fighter jet belongs to the Marine Corps and that it flew out of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar near San Diego.

U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Alexander Tidd/Released(LEMOORE, Calif.) -- Two crew members aboard a U.S. Navy fighter jet were killed Wednesday when the aircraft crashed near Lemoore Naval Air Station in California, according to officials.

The F/A-18F Super Hornet went down at 12:08 p.m. in a private field close to the Naval Air Station. The pilot and weapons systems operator on board were on a routine training flight. Their names are being withheld until their loved ones are notified.

The incident happened off the coast of California around 2:50 p.m. on the deck of the USS John C. Stennis. The military said an F/A-18C Hornet was preparing to take off when its engine failed, causing it to go up in flames and injure ten sailors nearby.

The injured sailors were intially treated on the ship. Four were flown out to Naval Medical Center San Diego where they were listed in stable condition. The pilot of the jet was not harmed.

The ship suffered no significant damage.

An investigation is now underway to determine what caused the mishap.﻿